Uvb light recommendation

[musiclover18]

I’m looking for a recommendation on what size uvb light I should get for my 4x8 foot set up.
Also looking for a brand to use. I’ve used reptisun before but not sure if there is a better one out there.

 

[LudusPlus]

Not sure on size but everything I've bought from Arcadia has been great bulb wise. My basking, UVB and UVB fitting are from them.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Arcadia lamps are believed to last longer than others (they are more expensive, but because of the lifespan could be on par or cheaper to use).

Choice depends on a few factors: tortoise specie, enclosure height and few others. Arcadia has easy to use guide on their site (here) which can help.

It makes sense to put UVB near the day light lamps (so tort naturally goes under brighter lamps and gets some UV). UVB should be put on a separate timer (2-3 hours a day, mimicking natural sunlight UV exposure), while daylights should be running 10-12 hours.

For my redfoot I have lights only in one half of the enclosure (as it's a shade-loving specie and don't require much UVB). UVB tube length is about 1/5th of the enclosure. I have to use 7% small wattage lamp because of the low enclosure height. If you have enclosure at least 2-3 feet high you have more options (e.g. you can get higher UV level lamp and hang it higher to achieve appropriate UV level and when lamp starts to lose efficiency, lower it). But to do this trick you will need UV meter tool (such is Solarmeter 6.2/6.5) which is expensive but could pay itself off as you can save on replacement UV lamps.

These are general thoughts gathered from around the forum. If you provide bit more details on the enclosure (other lightning/heating elements) and your tortoise (age, specie), that would help

UPD: From your other post I see, that you probably have a cherry-head about 5 years old. The only piece of puzzle left is the enclosure height and light/shade zones setup.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

From what I've heard from some other members who's information I take seriously, ARCADIA is a superior product.
And at a similar cost to the REPTISUN T5 HO uvb lights and fixtures that I use.
I can say though, that REPTISUN is a quality brand.
Neither will be "junk". And either will give you a very long service life.

 

[Tom]

I’m looking for a recommendation on what size uvb light I should get for my 4x8 foot set up.
Also looking for a brand to use. I’ve used reptisun before but not sure if there is a better one out there.

The length doesn't matter. Just mount it near the basking lamp. The Arcadia ProT5 Kit does the job very well. Any length.

Here is a breakdown of the four heating and lighting essentials:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

 

[musiclover18]

Arcadia lamps are believed to last longer than others (they are more expensive, but because of the lifespan could be on par or cheaper to use).

Choice depends on a few factors: tortoise specie, enclosure height and few others. Arcadia has easy to use guide on their site (here) which can help.

It makes sense to put UVB near the day light lamps (so tort naturally goes under brighter lamps and gets some UV). UVB should be put on a separate timer (2-3 hours a day, mimicking natural sunlight UV exposure), while daylights should be running 10-12 hours.

For my redfoot I have lights only in one half of the enclosure (as it's a shade-loving specie and don't require much UVB). UVB tube length is about 1/5th of the enclosure. I have to use 7% small wattage lamp because of the low enclosure height. If you have enclosure at least 2-3 feet high you have more options (e.g. you can get higher UV level lamp and hang it higher to achieve appropriate UV level and when lamp starts to lose efficiency, lower it). But to do this trick you will need UV meter tool (such is Solarmeter 6.2/6.5) which is expensive but could pay itself off as you can save on replacement UV lamps.

These are general thoughts gathered from around the forum. If you provide bit more details on the enclosure (other lightning/heating elements) and your tortoise (age, specie), that would help

UPD: From your other post I see, that you probably have a cherry-head about 5 years old. The only piece of puzzle left is the enclosure height and light/shade zones setup.

Hello! I

Arcadia lamps are believed to last longer than others (they are more expensive, but because of the lifespan could be on par or cheaper to use).

Choice depends on a few factors: tortoise specie, enclosure height and few others. Arcadia has easy to use guide on their site (here) which can help.

It makes sense to put UVB near the day light lamps (so tort naturally goes under brighter lamps and gets some UV). UVB should be put on a separate timer (2-3 hours a day, mimicking natural sunlight UV exposure), while daylights should be running 10-12 hours.

For my redfoot I have lights only in one half of the enclosure (as it's a shade-loving specie and don't require much UVB). UVB tube length is about 1/5th of the enclosure. I have to use 7% small wattage lamp because of the low enclosure height. If you have enclosure at least 2-3 feet high you have more options (e.g. you can get higher UV level lamp and hang it higher to achieve appropriate UV level and when lamp starts to lose efficiency, lower it). But to do this trick you will need UV meter tool (such is Solarmeter 6.2/6.5) which is expensive but could pay itself off as you can save on replacement UV lamps.

These are general thoughts gathered from around the forum. If you provide bit more details on the enclosure (other lightning/heating elements) and your tortoise (age, specie), that would help

UPD: From your other post I see, that you probably have a cherry-head about 5 years old. The only piece of puzzle left is the enclosure height and light/shade zones setup.

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Arcadia lamps are believed to last longer than others (they are more expensive, but because of the lifespan could be on par or cheaper to use).

Choice depends on a few factors: tortoise specie, enclosure height and few others. Arcadia has easy to use guide on their site (here) which can help.

It makes sense to put UVB near the day light lamps (so tort naturally goes under brighter lamps and gets some UV). UVB should be put on a separate timer (2-3 hours a day, mimicking natural sunlight UV exposure), while daylights should be running 10-12 hours.

For my redfoot I have lights only in one half of the enclosure (as it's a shade-loving specie and don't require much UVB). UVB tube length is about 1/5th of the enclosure. I have to use 7% small wattage lamp because of the low enclosure height. If you have enclosure at least 2-3 feet high you have more options (e.g. you can get higher UV level lamp and hang it higher to achieve appropriate UV level and when lamp starts to lose efficiency, lower it). But to do this trick you will need UV meter tool (such is Solarmeter 6.2/6.5) which is expensive but could pay itself off as you can save on replacement UV lamps.

These are general thoughts gathered from around the forum. If you provide bit more details on the enclosure (other lightning/heating elements) and your tortoise (age, specie), that would help

UPD: From your other post I see, that you probably have a cherry-head about 5 years old. The only piece of puzzle left is the enclosure height and light/shade zones setup.

hello. I did have a cherry headed red foot but I had to rehome him with a move across country. I’m now looking into getting a tortoise again as I miss having one. It will most likely be a redfoot! My enclosure height is 72” high.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

With such height you can easily use T5HO 12% lamp, lowering it when it's effiency fades. With 2-3 hours a day it could last several years (probably), it won't be necessary to change it every 6 months. But, you will need the Solarmeter device to measure UV levels.

Tom's post above outlines overall setup (it seems, that it's canned Frequently Answered Answer). For the redfoot you won't need a basking spot, as far as I know. I would go with a 24-inch lamp and put it near the brightest spot with ambient lightning. So tort can go out of the shaded zone, get some UVB and some more heat from CHE and go back in the shade if it likes to.